Holiday Horror: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

S.E. Howard
Dec 16, 2025
8 min read

DECEMBER 14, 2026: I know post-scripts are usually reserved for the tail end of things, but this one is so important, I wanted to put it at the top. The state of Washington has been hit by devastating amounts of rainfall in the past week, resulting in the catastrophic failure of levees and flooding along the Green River near the North Cascades National Park and Canadian border.

I'd originally invited author Lisa Breanne to take part in this post, as she's recently put together a wonderful holiday horror anthology called "When the Bell Tolls." However, Lisa lives in the area potentially impacted by this horrible flooding, and is faced with the prospect of imminent evacuation.

Even in the face of something so terrifying and awful, however, Lisa is more concerned about her neighbors in surrounding communities. According to a post on her Facebook:

"After reaching out to the other authors in When the Bell Tolls (our Christmas Carol charity anthology), I have been supported in my decision to use the funds from the sales to help the multitude of families in desperate need right now because they've lost everything. Although I believe EVERY CHILD deserves a present on Christmas, right now, these children and families need a warm, safe place to sleep (some are living in their cars because they can't afford hotels), food (food banks are beyond depleted), warm clean clothing, essentials (the shelters are running out of supplies) etc.... so EVERY PENNY of the proceeds from the anthology are going to help bring relief."

Please help support this worthy cause by purchasing a copy of "When the Bell Tolls" through one of the links below:

Ebook/Paperback/Hardcover

https://a.co/d/7XfVhHS

Signed copy

acrosstheblackveil.bigcartel.com/product/when-the-bell-tolls

Lisa's PayPal if you don't want to purchase the book but would like to make a donation:

https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/VH4RM8T4C2Y2E

Purchase a copy of "When the Bell Tolls" and help support victims of the devastating flooding in Washington state.

Holiday Horror: Why do we love it so much?

While Halloween is the most obvious horror-themed holiday, there are spine-tingling, gore-soaked titles for just about every holiday season out there, and Christmastime is no exception. In this blog post, I'll scratch the surface of the ever-growing list of ghoulish reads with a Yuletide flare, and pick the proverbial brains behind some of the season's scariest reads to find out just what makes for good holiday horror, and why this subgenre is so surprisingly successfully.

(I realize the "holiday" encompasses way more than just Christmas, and where applicable, I'll make note of any titles that focus on these.)

What is Holiday Horror?

According to Wikipedia, holiday horror -- and Christmas horror in particular -- "typically juxtaposes horror elements with communal seasonal expectations of a period of peace and kindness." The custom of linking scary and festive dates back to ancient celebrations of the winter solstice, a time when our ancestors both dreaded the encroaching harsh winter months (when food ran scarce and death was an ever-present threat) but looked forward to the promise of spring.

While most of us thankfully no longer face such grim prospects, this time of the year has become synonymous with a focus on family, fellowship, and peace. And just like in ancestral times, contrasting these joyous aspects with terrifying imagery and gruesome acts of violence can be a startling, unexpected juxtaposition.

Let's be honest, though. For many of us (myself included!), the holidays are really a time of stress, anxiety, and emotional instability as we're pressured to buy more and more gifts for family and friends, juggle multiple get-togethers, dinners, and celebrations, and fight the crowds in overpacked shopping malls.

As author Amanda Ruzsa puts it: "Holidays aren’t always cozy—they’re emotionally loaded pressure cookers full of trauma, obligation, and forced joy."

Sounds like torture, right? And that's exactly what makes holiday horror stories work.

"The best holiday horror...uses nostalgia and tradition to create comfort and joy," Ruzsa explained, "then turns it into discomfort and unease."

"Holiday horror hits so hard because holidays aren’t always cozy," says author/poet Amanda Rusza. Her story, "O Holy Shit," is available now. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

Ruzsa uses this sense of dread and despair in her short story, "O Holy Shit," in which a young woman and the family with whom she has a strained relationship win a trip to the North Pole, auspiciously to meet Santa Claus. They discover jolly ol' St. Nick isn't really so jolly after all, and what's waiting for them is no fairy tale.

Why is Holiday Horror So Popular?

Holiday horror taps into the sense of terror lots of people feel with the season. It embodies the chaos many of us experience as we struggle to fulfill social obligations, shop for gifts, plan meals, and put on cheery faces for the world. If ever there was a need for some escapism, it's during this time of the year, and maybe that's why holiday horror works.

"I think when it comes to Christmas, it’s by far the biggest holiday for most and therefor it has the most traditions and things attached to it for authors to play with," author/editor Kevin J. Kennedy said. For authors, he adds, that works out well. "Pretty much everyone knows what it is even if they don’t celebrate it, so you have a readymade audience."

And Kennedy has become a de factor expert on reaching that audience, having published eight anthologies of Christmas-themed horror under the banner of his label KJK Publishing.

"When I put the first Christmas anthology together it was simply because I didn’t feel that there was a whole lot of modern Christmas horror out there," he explained. "That has certainly changed in the last 10 years but at the time I felt it was slim pickings. The great thing about putting an anthology together is you pick a subject matter that you want to read lots of and then just watch the stories roll in. It keeps you busy for a while and you get some real treats."

To date, author/editor Kevin J. Kennedy has published eight holiday horror anthologies. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

Kennedy's collection includes his own work, "Merry F--kin' Christmas And Other Yuletide Shit" as well as eight anthologies: "The Horror Collection: Christmas Edition" and "White Edition," "The Best of Indie Horror: Christmas Edition," and "Collected Christmas Horror Shorts Volumes I-IV." You'll find purchase links for each of these in the list below, and a complete list and links for all of Kevin's work here.

While lots of holiday horror sticks to the tried-and-true familiar Christmas tropes, one of the most fun parts of the genre is how authors explore different takes and twists on these standards. Author/editor Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar explained: "I love horror tropes, but I’m always looking for ways in which the writer transcends them."

Author/editor Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar gets in the horrific holiday spirit with "It Crept from the Stocking," available now. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

A great example is found in Sachar's short story, “Have Yourself a Methy Little Christmas," from her collection, "It Crept from the Stocking."

"I started by thinking about traditional Christmas songs," she said, "and let it devolve into a bloody mess involving a drug dealer named Nick wearing a red track suit. The result? Weird as hell, but different."

Additionally, as Kennedy posits, holiday horror taps into another seasonal reality, a darker one. "I think most people enjoy nostalgia and for anyone that had good Christmases growing up, it’s going to always remain a magical time of year. For others that maybe don’t have fond memories of it, reading twisted horrific tales maybe gives them something they can enjoy while everyone else forces the holiday upon them."

Holiday Horror Reading List

Are you ready to stock up your TBR list with some terrifying and terrific holiday horror reads? Check out this list, compiled with the help of Amanda Ruzsa and members of the Books of Horror online community. Some are grisly, some are sweet, while others are darkly humorous.

Whenever possible, I've tried to include links to purchase each title in ebook (Amazon only). While nowhere near complete, all of the following titles come from the suggestions of readers and fans of the genre. Thanks to everyone who offered their recommendations!